It’s become a viral fitness trend, and the Japanese interval walking technique is a relatively easy way to boost your fitness. And the great thing is it’s totally free

For those looking to improve their health and fitness in the year ahead, it can often feel like an uphill struggle just trying to start a new regime. But as most medical experts will tell you, making even small steps to being more active can have a big impact on your overall health and well-being.

As the MEN reported at the weekend, one free and easy way to boost your fitness is by using the Japanese walking technique, which involves walking fast and then slow at set intervals. We tried the technique with impressive results, as you can read about here.

Much has been written in recent years about trying to hit a steps goal as a way of using walking for fitness, with many striving to hit a 10,000 daily steps target to stay healthy and in shape.

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But with Japanese walking, there’s no steps goal – instead you are encouraged to walk for 30 minutes, at least four times a week, alternating between three minutes “fast” walking and three minutes “slow”.

You set your own pace while doing the technique, so it’s whatever you consider to be “fast” – described by experts as enough to make you feel “out of breath” by the end of each set.

The technique has become known as Japanese walking as it was first developed and studied for its health benefits by experts at Shinshu University in Japan. Its medical research team there found that participants completing interval training over a five month period improved their fitness by up to 20 per cent.

Professor Masuki Shizue of the Shinshu University Graduate School of Medicine was one of the co-researchers on the project. She noted that the interval walking technique was particularly helpful for older people as it’s a low impact form of exercise, and may help ease existing health problems too.

The most recent study on the official website states: “Walking is one of the easiest form of exercise for older adults. Professor Masuki and her team demonstrated that “interval walking,” which involves alternating between brisk and slow walking, can help mitigate the risk of lifestyle-related diseases.

“A large-scale survey of 234 participants who engaged in interval walking was conducted to determine whether interval walking improves bone mineral density and whether this improvement is greater among individuals with low bone mineral density. The findings of the present study revealed that interval walking is an excellent form of exercise, especially for individuals with low bone mineral density.”

It continued that given that it does not require any special equipment and can be performed at a pace that suits the physical fitness of the individual, interval walking is also a sustainable form of exercise for most able-bodied individuals.

Indeed the only “equipment” you need to get started on the interval walking is comfortable walking shoes and either a watch or phone to time each three minute interval. As each workout is just 30 minutes, it’s also a great form of exercise to fit into busy schedules, or for those simply not that keen on exercising, as you’re not striving to reach a set steps limit each day.

Studies are now ongoing at the university to verify the effects of interval walking on specific diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. But it added that it “could help prevent the incidence of lifestyle-related diseases and exert therapeutic effects if it can reduce the dosage of prescription medications or eliminate their requirement”.

How do you do interval walking?

As described by Shinshu University, interval walking involves walking briskly for three minutes until “one is out of breath (approximately 70% of the peak aerobic capacity), followed by three minutes of slow walking and this process is repeated thereafter”.

To improve physical fitness, they recommend adopting the technique for five sets of intervals (so 30 minutes) of this style of walking per day, on 4 or more days a week.

They say that after five months, doing the interval walking 4 times a week “can improve physical fitness by up to 20%.” They say it may also help to prevent “lifestyle-related illnesses.”

Who can benefit from interval walking?

As well as being good for people aiming to improve their overall fitness levels, the study by Shinshu University found that this style of interval walking could be particularly beneficial to those with “low bone mineral density”. As bone density declines with age, that includes some older people, and women going through the menopause.

The research said: “Osteoporosis [weakening bones] is particularly prevalent among postmenopausal women owing to the rapid decline in the secretion of female hormones resulting in a reduction in bone mineral density.

“A total of 234 postmenopausal women completed five sets of interval walking per day on at least 4 days per week for 5 months in this study.

“Measurement of the bone mineral density of the participants revealed an increase in the bone mineral density of individuals with low bone mineral density at baseline. No changes were observed in the bone density of individuals with high bone mineral density at baseline.”

Sir Rod Stewart is proving that age really is just a number. At 81, the British rock legend still delivers an energetic stage presence that’s stood the test of time – something that wouldn’t be possible without a dedicated, carefully planned training routine.

With 37 dates announced for his 2026 tour, Stewart is gearing up for another demanding year of performances across the US and Europe. He’s more than fit enough to handle it, too, with an indoor swimming pool, gym, golf course and running track all located on his English estate.

‘I keep myself very fit,’ Stewart told AARP. ‘I played soccer all my life – don’t so much anymore, because I had a knee replacement. And I’ve always had a trainer – same guy for 38 years.’

That trainer, Gary O’Connor, works to three key principles when it comes to fitness. ‘You have to look at what’s attainable, what’s repeatable – in other words, it has to be something you can do on a regular basis – and it’s got to be relevant to your lifestyle,’ O’Connor told The Times.

Sir Rod Stewart’s

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Underwater Swimming

Stewart’s unconventional pool work traces back to advice from Frank Sinatra, who once told him that strong lungs are built by swimming underwater and holding your breath. Since then, the Maggie May singer has made aquatic training a regular feature of his routine. After consulting with someone from the SBS (Special Boat Service), O’Connor adapted elements of underwater training to suit Stewart.

‘We do a lot of underwater training, where the trainer throws a brick into the pool and I have to dive in, push the brick to the end of the pool, and come up,’ Stewart said. Flippers and rebreather tubes – a closed-circuit diving system that allows him to stay underwater longer by recycling his breath – also feature, though bricks remain a constant. Stewart will tread water holding a brick overhead, retrieve bricks from the bottom of the pool, or move them from the deep end to the shallow end.

‘He really likes doing this because he says it helps his singing. This is all about holding your breath,’ O’Connor explained. ‘We have obstacles and he’s the kind of guy who says, “Time me,” and then tries to beat it. These aren’t just swim sessions – they’re almost military type workouts.’

Chasing a 100m Record

Stewart isn’t training solely for the stage. In 2025, he revealed his ambition to break the 100m world record for his age group. ‘I got it [his 100m time] down to 19 seconds by learning how to push off,’ he said. ‘I’m going to try and do 17 seconds, which I think is a world record for an 80-year-old.’

With American Kenton Brown clocking an extraordinary 14.21 seconds at the 2024 Nevada Senior Games, Stewart would need to make significant gains to become the fastest ever in the 80-plus category. His private track certainly helps, while O’Connor regularly has him running on a treadmill under medical supervision. ‘I work with a definitive maximum heart rate rather than a calculated one,’ he said.

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Build strength, add muscle and strip body fat in 2026 with this simple four-week training plan from Men’s Health fitness director Andrew Tracey. You’ll also get a fully comprehensive nutrition guide, giving you the tools to create a smart, sustainable calorie deficit – without compromising your training. Tap the link below to unlock 14 days of free access to the Men’s Health app and start training today.

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Pre-Show Warm-Up

Performing for two hours on stage multiple times a week would be demanding for anyone, let alone someone in their 80s. Stewart understands the importance of preparation and sticks to a thorough pre-show warm-up to stay consistent night after night.

‘I’ll do my vocal warm-up, which takes half an hour, and ride a stationary bike to pump my legs up,’ Stewart said. O’Connor then adds deep-tissue massage, percussion therapy and a full-body mobility routine to loosen him up. The bike work, meanwhile, is short and intense.

‘We’ll do perhaps three to five one-minute pushes out of the saddle just to pump your thighs up so that you feel ready to go,’ O’Connor added.

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Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men’s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.

During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.

Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running – he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark…

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